Insulated rail-joint.



W. L. DE REMER.

INSULATED RAIL JOINT.

APPLIOATION HLBD SEPT. ze, 190s.

991,488. Patented May 9,1911.

reifen.

WILLIAM L. DE REMER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

To all lwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, l/VILLIAM L. DE RE- MER, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing in Chicago, in the county of Cook and State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in InsulatedRail- Joints, of which the following is a specilication.

This invention relates to that class of insulated rail joints havingconnecting plates each provided with a base-plate or bottom portionwhich extends beneath the bases of both rails, in actual contact andsupporting engagement with one rail base at a point directly beneath andon both sides of its longitudinal center and insulated from the otherrail, each connecting plate being also in actual contact with the railhead of one rail and insulated from the other plate and rail.

The principal object of the invention is to provide asimple, economicaland el/icient insulated rail joint for railways.

A further object of the invention is to provide an insulated rail jointhaving, to as great an extentas possible, the strength, stability,economy of construction, durability,

and efliciency in operation of a non-insulat ed joint, and adapted toprovide a metallic support for the load and for both rail-ends connectedthereby and relieve the insulation of all stresses and strains so far aspossible and prevent it from being worn away so as to cause a shortcircuit; and to provide a rail joint having an outer connecting plate onthe outside of the rails or track, insulated from one rail and adaptedto support a large port-ion of the load or resist the side thrusts towhich the rail having the outer insulation would otherwise be subjected,and to prevent so far as possible the flattening, indenting, depressingor distorting of the upper surface or tread of the rails and theloosening or weakening of the connections due to the wearing away of theinsulating material or other causes.

Other and further objects of the invention will appear from anexamination of the drawings and the following description and claims.

The invention consists principally in an insulated rail joint havingmetallic connecting `plates each having aside portion in contact andsupporting engagement with the head of one rail and an integral baseplate portion which extends beneath the rail bases Specification ofLetters Patent.

' application inea september 2s, 190s.

INSULATED RAIL-JOINT.

Patented May 9, 1911. Serial No. 455,161.

of both rails in contact and supporting engagement with on`e of the railbases but beneath and insulated from the other, all so constructed andarranged that the end of each rail has a metallic base-plate portion ofa connecting plate directly beneath and on both sides of thelongitudinal center and base of the rail, and each connecting plate hasan insulated base-plate portion beneath the base of a rail, all adaptedto form a rigid connection, provide a metallic support for both railends, insulate the rails and plates from each other and relieve theinsulating material of the weight of the loadparticularly the insulationon the outer side of the rail.

- It consists further in the features, combinations, and details ofconstruction hereinafter described and claimed. Y

In the accompanying drawings Figure lis a perspective view of aninsulated rail joint constructed in accordance with my improvements, andsho-wing the preferred form of connecting plates and arrangement ofinsulating material; Fig. 2, a vertical transverse sectional view, takenon line 2 of Fig. l, looking in the direction of the arrow; Fig. 3, asimilar view in vertical transverse section, taken on line 3 of Fig. l,looking in the direction of t-he arrow; Fig. 4, a plan view of' the railjoint shown in Fig. l; Fig. 5, a horizontal sectional view, taken online 5 of Fig. 2, with rails removed, and Fig. 6, a perspective view ofa modified form of rail joint constructed in accordance with myimprovements.

In constructing an insulated rail-joint in `accordance with myimprovements, I provide a pair of metallic connecting plates a and oarranged on the inner and outer sides respectively of track rails o tobe connected thereby. Each connecting plate has an upright side portion,one end 2 of which extends upward and inward in contact with the underside of the rail head of one rail, and the opposite end 3 of which isoffset at a point near the center of the plat-e where the rail endsrest, so as to be out of engagement with the rail and permit theinterposed lining of insulating material 4 to lie between the connectingplate and the rail from the end of the plate to its longitudinal centerand the end of the rail which is to be insulated therefrom. Each of theconnecting plates is also provided with a base-plate portion Z integralwith the side portion of the plate and extending beneath the ends andbases of both track rails, in contact with the base of one rail basebeneath and on opposite sides of its longitudinal center and y forming ametallic support therefor, and beneath and out of contact and insulatedfrom the base of the lother rail. The portion 5 of the base-plate ofeach connecting plate, where it is in Contact and supporting engagementwith the rail is relatively wide and thick so that its upper surface isabove the level of the upper surface of the relatively narrow and thinportion 6 of the same plate and of the adjacent plate. The relativelynarrow and thin portion of each plate thus has its upper surface belowthe level of the upper surface of the relatively wide portion of thesame and the adjacent plate a suiiicient distance to admit the lining ofinsulating material between it and the base of the rail.

An insulation 7 is interposed between the adjacent ends of the trackrails. And the side insulations t are reinforced at the points wherethey extend beneath the adjacent parts or edges of the rails or betweenadjacent edges of the connecting plates where the greatest wear isliable to occur due tounavoidabl-e play of the parts between which theinsulating material is interposed.. The reinforced or relatively thickportion of the insulation near the ends of the rails is indicated by thereference numeral y8, and that adjacent to the edges of the base platesbeneath the rail bases is indicated by the reference numeral 9. Theadjacent edges of the base plates, where they extend longitudinallybeneath the bases of the respective rails, preferably overlap eachother-the relatively wide base-plate portion of each connecting platehaving an overlapping portion or flange 10 beneath which the lower edgeor flange 11 of the relatively narrow portion of the adjacent base-plateextends. The lining of insulating material preferably extends betweenthe overlapping portions of the base-plates, so as to exclude water andother substances and insure proper insulation of the connecting plateswith respect to each other. The outer connecting plate is provided,preferably, with an upwardly extending reinforce -or upright flange 12the upper surface of which is flush with the upper surfaces or tread ofthe rails. This reinforce should extend alongside of and out of contactwith the rail which has the lining of insulating material on its outerside, and the insulating material should preferably fill the spacebetween said reinforce or upper flange and the side of the rail head.

The insulation for one rail comprises a lining of insulating materialbetween the outer side of the rail and the outer connecting plate,including a lower strip or insulating portion 13 which is beneath theouter portion of the base of the rail and between said rail base and therelatively narrow baseplate portion 6 of said outer connecting plate,and also preferably including an upper insulating portion 14- whichextends bctween the uppermost portion of the outer connecting plate andthe rail head upward to the level of the top surface of the rail and theouter reinforcing portion 12. The insulation for the other railcomprises a lining of insulating material between the inner' side of therail and the inner connecting plate, and includes a lower strip orinsulating portion 15 which is beneath the inner portion of the base ofthe rail and the relatively narrow base-plate portion 6 of said innerconnecting plate. The bottom strips 13 and 15 of insulating material arethus substantially identical but on opposite sides of the longitudinalcenter of the rails, extending in opposite directions from theinsulating strip 7 between the ends of the rails. The insulations forthe respective rails and the respective connecting plates are thus instaggered relation, each connecting plate being insulated from the otherand from the rail with which the other connecting' plate is in actualcontact and supporting engagement.

Bolts 1G extend through perforations 7 in the upright webs of therespective rails and through bolt holes 18 in the connecting plates andare properly insulated by means of sleeves or collars 19 of insulatingmaterial in the openings in the insulated portions of the respectiveconnecting plates, each of said sleeves having an annular collar orflange 20 between the nut 21 or bolt head of the bolt encircled by saidflange, and the adjacent side of the connecting plate. The opposite endsof the respective bolts., need not be insulated from the connectingplate through which they extend, and a strong and eliicient connectionis thus afforded between the respective members of the joint and thetrack rails.

The upwardly extending load-supporting portion or reinforce 12 of theouter connecting plate has its upper surface flush with the top surfaceof the rail, as stated, so that the outer connecting plate serves notonly to connect the rails and support one rail base upon a metallicbase-plate, but it also serves to support the load to which the otheroutwardly insulated rail would be subjected, to the extent of cominginto actual and supporting contact with the wheels of thc engines andcars passing over the joint or track rails. by reason of its having itsinsulating lining necessarily on the outer side of the rail where it issubjected to side thrusts, is most likely to require bracing from theoutside, but also actually supports a portion of the It thus braces therail which.I

load and directly resists the side thrusts to which the rail wouldotherwise be subjected in use. This upper portion or reinforce ispreferably gradually tapered or inclined downward and toward therespective ends of the plate at the points indicated by the referencenumeral 22, and extends from the end of the plate which is adjacent tothe outwardly insulated rail past the rail ends and the insulation 7,and preferably inward into contact with the rail head which is withoutinsulation on its outer side. The reinforce may extend from end to endof the outer connecting plate, if desired.

The relatively narrow base-plate portion G of each of the connectingplates, by extending under the rail base, and also by extending underthe longitudinally flanged or overlapping portion 10 of the relativelywide base-plate portion adds greatly to the strength, efficiency andsecurity of the joint and the connections between the respectivemembers. 1eing integral with the relatively wide and thick base-plateportion of the connecting plate, of which it forms a part it not onlystrengthens the connecting plate, but, by extending under the base ofthe rail informs a supporting base for that portion of the load whichrests upon the upper reinforce 12, and serves to hold the bottoms orbases of the rails and the base plates of the respective connectingplates in proper position with respect to each other. These relativelynarrow and thin portions G of the base-plates therefore add to theefficiency of the joint whether the connecting plates or either of themhave a reinforce or upwardly extending portion above the -level of thebottom of the rail head or not. With both connecting plates maderidentical, in the form of the inner plate a, see Fig. 6) or without thereinforce 12, but having the relatively narrow and thin insulatedbase-plate portions extending beneath the bases of the respective rails,either with or without overlapping flanges 10 and ll, the joint being inall other respects unchanged, will be etlicient, butI prefer theconstruction shown, especially 1n cases where the greatest strength isdesired and interchangeability of the connecting plates is of lessimportance than the advantages which result from making the outer plateof greater height than the inner one.

l contemplate employing such modifications as are within the scope of myinvention and do not limit myself except as set forth in the claims.

I claim l. In an insulated rail joint, the coinbination of track railseach having a rail-head and a rail-base portion, a pair of connectingplates each in engagement with a rail-head and each having a base-plateportion extending beneath both rail bases in contact andA supportingengagement with one rail-base directly beneath its longitudinal centerand out of contact with the other rail-base and connecting plate, andinsulating material between each rail-base and one of the con nectingplates.

2. In an insulated rail joint, the combination of track rails eachhaving a rail-head and a rail base portion, a pair of connecting plateseach having a side portion in engagement with a rail-head and eachprovided with an integral base-plate portion extending beneath bothrails, in contact and supporting engagement with one rail base on bothsidesV of its longitudinal center and out of Contact with the otherrail-base and connecting plate, insulating material between each railand one of the connecting plates, and means for securing the connectingplates in operative position.

3. ln an insulated rail joint, the combination of track-rails eachhaving a rail-head and a rail-base portion, a pair of metallicconnecting plates each having a side portion in engagement with arail-head and each having an integral vbase-plate portion extendingbeneath both rails in contact and supporting engagement with onerail-base on both sides of its longitudinal center and out of Contactwith the other rail, insulating material between each rail-base and theconnecting plate with which said rail-base is out of contact, the upperedge of the outer connecting plate being above the level of the innerconnecting plate and level with the top of the track rails, and meansfor securing the parts in position.

4.. In an insulated rail joint, the combination of track rails eachhaving a rail-,head and a rail-base portion, insulating material betweenthe ends of said track rails, a pair of metallic .connecting plates eachhaving a side portion in engagement with a rail-head and each having anintegral basel-plate portion extending beneath the bases of both railsin contact and supporting engagement with one rail base on both sides ofits longitudinal center and out of contact with the other rail, and alining of insulating material extending between each rail-base and theconnecting plate with which said railbase is out of contact and betweenthe head of said rail and said connecting plate.

5. In an insulated rail joint, the combination of track rails eachhaving a railhead and a rail-base portion, insulating material betweenthe ends of said track rails, a pair of metallic connecting plates eachhaving a side portion in contact with a rail-head and each having anintegral base-plate portion extending beneath the bases of both rails incontact and supporting engagement with the central portion of onerail-base and out of contact with the other rail, a lining ofinsulating' material extending between each rail-base and the connectingplate with which said rail-base is out of contact and between the headof said rail and said connecting plate, the upper edge of the outerconnecting plate extending upward to the level of the upper surface ofthe track rails, and means for securing the connecting plates and trackrails in position.

G. In an insulated rail joint, the combination with track rails eachhaving a rail-head and rail-base portion and provided with insulatingmaterial between said track rails for insulating them from each other,of a pair of metallic connecting plates each having a side portion inengagement with a railhead and each' provided with an integralbase-plate portion extending beneath the bases of the rails, the upperedge of the outer connecting plate being on a level with the uppersurface of the track rails, and a lining of insulating material betweenthe connecting plates and rails.

7. In an insulated rail joint, the combination of track-rails eachhaving rail-head and base-portions, insulating material between j theends of the track rails, a pair of connecting plates each having a sideportion in engagement with a rail-head and each provided with anintegral base-plate having a relatively wide and thick portion incontact and supporting enga-gement with the base of one rail and arelatively narrow and thin integral base-plate portion extendingbeneathY and out of contact with the base of the other rail, the upperedge of the outer connecting plate being on a level with the uppersurface of the track rails, and a lining of insulating materialextending between the relatively narrow and thin base-plate portion ofeach connecting plate and the adjacent bottom surface of the rail-base.

8. In an insulated rail joint, the combination of track rails eachhaving rail-head and rail-base portions, a pair of connecting plateseach having a side portion in engagement with a rail-head, and eachprovided with an integral base-plate portion extending beneath bothrails in contact and supporting engagement with one rail-base on bothsides of its longitudinal center and out of contact with the otherrail-base and conlnecting plate, each of the base-plates having an inneredge overlapping the adjacent edge of the base-plate of the otherconnecting plate, and a lining of insulating material between theoverlapping edges of said connecting plates and between the track railsand connecting plates respectively.

9. In an insulated rail-joint, the combination of track rails eachhaving a rail-head and a railbase portion, insulating material betweenthe ends of the track rails, a pair of connecting plates each having aside portion in contact with a rail-head and each provided with anintegral base-plate having a relatively wide and thick portion incontact and supporting engagement with the base of one rail and arelatively narrow and thin integral base-plate portion beneath and outof contact with the base of the other rail, the upper edge of the outerconnecting plate being on a level with the upper surface of the trackrails, and a lining of insulating material extending between eachrail-base and the connecting plate with which said rail base is out ofcontact and between the inner edges of the respective connecting plates.

IVILLIAM L. DE KEMER.

`Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, byaddressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

